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Naughty Priests, Pastors, Ministers & Clergy

rynner2

rynner2

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Italian man catches wife in bed with priest
An Italian husband returned home early from work to find his wife in bed with their local priest.

By Nick Pisa in Rome
Last Updated: 5:33PM BST 14 Sep 2008

Following the shock discovery, the man stormed into the local bishop's office in Chioggia, near Venice, and demanded an explanation. Later police were called to calm him down.

Details of the incident in Chioggia near Venice emerged on Sunday in Italian newspapers and the local bishop Angelo Daniel has now confirmed that the adulterous priest has been sent to another parish for "reeducation". [Craggy Island? 8) ]

The 53-year-old priest was described as a specialist on the Bible and had been a good friend of the couple.

The husband, 39, and his wife, 37, have two children.

Bishop Daniel added: "I have always respected the priest in question and I will continue to respect him. You cannot discount all the good a person has done in their life just because of one mistake."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstop ... riest.html

Just one mistake..? ;)
 
He was probably only demonstrating the passage from the bible that says go forth and multiply. :)
 
I think that because the church is finding it difficult to recruit enough priests, the Vatican has decided on a breeding programme instead.

This priest was just involved in on-the-job training... :D
 
"I have always respected the priest in question and I will continue to respect him. You cannot discount all the good a person has done in their life just because of one mistake."

Just one mistake..?


Well normally he finds his way to the son's bedroom! :?
 
It's never a dull moment, with the Reverend Mullen.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/oct/06/religion

Vicar could be disciplined for blog slurs against gays and Muslims

Rev Peter Mullen joked about homosexuals and Islam on an internet blog

guardian.co.uk, Riazat Butt, religious affairs correspondent. October 06 2008

A Church of England vicar could face disciplinary action for saying gay men should have "sodomy" warnings tattooed on their bodies.

The Rev Peter Mullen, who is a parish priest and rector in the City of London, made the remarks on his blog, which has since been removed from the web under an agreement with diocesan officials.

Mullen, 66, wrote it was time for religious believers to recommend the discouragement of homosexual practices in the style of cigarette packet warnings.

"Let us make it obligatory for homosexuals to have their backsides tattooed with the slogan sodomy can seriously damage your health and their chins with fellatio kills."

In a previous posting Mullen anticipated an "agreeable carnage" at the start of the annual Hajj, the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca.

"They usually manage to stampede and slaughter quite a few hundred of their co-religionists. Just imagine for a moment what a field day the BBC and the leftwing press in England would have if anything even remotely as bad as that happened in Vatican Square at Christmas or Easter."

Mullen criticised the lack of jokes about Islam in the media, remarking that adherents "certainly lend themselves to ridicule: sticking their arses in the air five times a day. How about a few little choruses, 'Randy Muslims when they die/Find 70 virgins in the sky'?"

In a statement referring to the tattoo blog, the Right Rev Richard Chartres, bishop of London, condemned Mullen's opinions. "While clergy are entitled to their own personal views, we recognise that the content of this text is highly offensive and is in no way reflective of the views of the diocese of London."

Chartres was alerted to the blog in June and promised to "have a word" with Mullen. He was said to be taking the matter seriously, although his office stated it was not in a position to edit blogs written by an individual, however much they might disapprove of the sentiments expressed. A spokesman for the diocese said it was possible that Mullen could be disciplined on the grounds of engaging in conduct unbecoming or inappropriate to the office and work of the clergy.

Despite the bishop's rebuke, Mullen played down the posts, which he described as "light-hearted jokes".

"I wrote some satirical things on my blog and anybody with an ounce of sense of humour or any understanding of the tradition of English satire would immediately assume that they're light-hearted jokes. I certainly have nothing against homosexuals. Many of my dear friends have been and are of that persuasion. What I have got against them is the militant preaching of homosexuality."
Click to expand...
Makes me almost regret recommending that priests who come out with really twattish pronouncements, should have 'Twat!' tattooed on their foreheads, a few weeks back.

Almost.
 
Mullen criticised the lack of jokes about Islam in the media, remarking that adherents "certainly lend themselves to ridicule: sticking their arses in the air five times a day. How about a few little choruses, 'Randy Muslims when they die/Find 70 virgins in the sky'?"
Click to expand...
Frank Skinner had a go at this on the recent Secret Policeman's Ball (for Amnesty International) last Friday(?) - His song "Oh, oh, oh, Osama Bin Laden!", sung in the style of George Formby, was a hoot! 8)

Perhaps this priest should go into show business instead...
 
rynner said:
...

Perhaps this priest should go into show business instead...
Click to expand...
His talents are obviously wasted in the Spiritual & Moral leadership & guidance business.

Perhaps, he could take over Bernard Manning's old club?
 
I guess this fits in here:

One man, seven wives, eight children... And two more on the way. Is this Britain's most bizarre family?
By Neil Sears
Last updated at 9:33 AM on 07th October 2008

You would think seven wives would be more than enough to keep a man busy.
But Philip Sharp has a little more on his plate than usual - two are pregnant at the same time.
Margo, 39, is due this month, while Vreni, 38, is scheduled to deliver in January.

Mr Sharp, a self-proclaimed rabbi, came to public attention two years ago thanks to his bizarre living arrangements.
God, he claimed, had told him he was a reincarnated Old Testament king. And so he lives like one, with a harem of devoted 'wives', none of whom he is legally married to.
Now the 'rampant rabbi', as he has been called, has eight children by four wives - on top of five by a previous and now estranged wife.

He is looking forward to the next two arrivals. 'I never use contraception and I don't let my wives take the Pill unless they really don't want kids,' he declared at his Sussex farmhouse.
'My three partners who haven't had children find it hard when the other women fall pregnant.
'I'm spending more time with Margo and Vreni as we prepare for the births.'

Margo was 25 and had never had a serious boyfriend when she met Mr Sharp at his 'synagogue' based in Hove.
Now about to give birth to her fourth child by him she said: 'I used to want a normal relationship with one husband, and was scared when I was first invited to marry Philip.
'But I thought about it, and heard God telling me I should.
'The first year was the hardest, and I was very jealous of the other wives. I told Philip - and he said I should learn how to share, and now I have.
'Now I feel blessed that my children call the other wives "Mummy", and I trust them completely with my kids.

Vreni, six months pregnant with her second child with Mr Sharp, is originally from Switzerland.
She was studying languages in England when she heard about his synagogue.
God, she claims, told her to join. 'At first I worried what my friends and family would think but I realised what God wanted was more important,' she said.
She added: 'I cannot wear makeup to appear attractive to anyone else other than Philip. I like to abide by the rules.'

And Mr Sharp, 48, certainly has a household full of rules.
His wives have to wear hats to shield their hair from other men, follow a rota for housework, and attend to his every whim.
They also have to help out in Mr Sharp's haulage business. And they have to be content not to have had a proper wedding - as he insists their marriages simply began when they first had sex. :roll:

In fact, the only woman he is legally married to is Hadass, 53 - an Israeli who left him nine years ago when he made clear he was planning to take on a whole host of new wives.
She has since claimed he began flirting with other women on their honeymoon in 1984, and that he would demand sex at all hours of day and night.
After she left, the congregation at Mr Sharp's 'biblical Judaism' synagogue dwindled and he was later excommunicated by the group.

He first 'married' his secretary Judith, 49, and within three years added Tracey, 41, Hannah, 50, Vreni, Margo, Chava, 64, and Karyn, 29, to his harem.
Karyn's mother Maureen also lives in the household and teaches the children in a converted barn next door. Currently the youngsters are aged between six months and nine years old.
Mr Sharp now only ministers to the faithful in his own family.
As no one claims benefits, the haulage business needs profits of £400 a week to pay grocery bills.
All the wives submit to his bedroom demands.
Mr Sharp said: 'There is no rota for sex. It depends on where I'm at with each wife emotionally and spiritually.
'I spend time with whoever I like, and it is often the wives I have more fun with that I want to be with. When they quarrel, I call a family meeting and the other wives act as a jury so we can resolve it.'

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... amily.html
 
Well its nice to see the priest doing his bit for the community :lol:

Plus the wife must of been given a bible class she wont be forgetting in a while :lol: :twisted:
 
Funny how if you're a "self-proclaimed" holy man, you always seem to find followers, but if I were a self-proclaimed billionaire, I'd have trouble convicing even one person.
 
gncxx said:
Funny how if you're a "self-proclaimed" holy man, you always seem to find followers, but if I were a self-proclaimed billionaire, I'd have trouble convicing even one person.
Click to expand...


Priests are supposed to be a member of the community you know or at least think you can trust, they listen to you, and speak of jesus.

Well this priest reallt did speak highly of god or rather "oh my god" :lol:
 
Viagra-popping priest named Elvis accused of seducing parishioner in the confessional is sued for $25m
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 4:15 PM on 30th October 2008

A Catholic priest in New York is being sued by one of his parishioners who claims he seduced her in the confessional box.
Judith Rodrigues-Lytwyn has launched a $25million lawsuit against Father Elvis Elano following their seven-month affair which ended when he told her about a nasty rash on his private parts which she contends came from another woman. :shock:

According to Rodrigues-Lytwyn, she was pouring her heart out about her sorrow over her divorce during confession when Father Elano told her he loved her.
The 50-year-old claims the priest told her: 'Your presence struck me like a thunderbolt.'
She says Father Elano began courting her and 'encouraging her to engage in a sexual liaison with him to assist her in overcoming her pain associated with her husband and because it was "ordained by God"'.

She said their affair, conducted in her house and in hotel rooms, lasted for seven months, with him ordering Viagra over the Internet.
Rodrigues-Lytwyn said in a statement: 'I was going through a very rough patch in my life and I was looking for some spiritual guidance, and finding some peace from a religious perspective.

'And he essentially took advantage of that. I was overwhelmed by his advances. Once I got my head on straight, I realised that he preyed upon me.'

The Brooklyn Supreme Court suit - against Father Elano, the Diocese of Brooklyn and Our Lady of the Snows in Queens - includes photos she took of him, including one of him shirtless, kneeling next to her bed, and one with him holding a red rose in his teeth.

Exhibit A is a $113 receipt for Viagra obtained from a Salt Lake City chemist. 8)

And she attached the October 6 e-mail he sent which reads: "The other Friday I tried to look for a doctor who does not know me. It is because of the rash/s on my thing. It is spreading out. Now I even have on my legs. They are like spots but painful. I don't know what it is but I am still applying Clobitassol.'

The woman's lawyer, Andrew Laufer, said he does not believe that Rodrigues-Lytwyn is the first.

He told the New York Post: 'This guy knew what he was doing. We feel that he's done this before, exploited a woman such as her, who's in the middle of a divorce, who's been physically abused, and whose self-esteem and self-confidence is as a low. He manipulated that.'

The Rev Kieran Hartington, a spokesman for the Diocese of Brooklyn, said Rodrigues-Lytwyn had approached church authorities to report the affair but would not name the priest.

Father Elano served at Our Lady of the Snows for two years and was moved to a church in upstate New York two months ago.

Parishioners at the church were stunned by the news.

One choir member said: 'This is the first I heard about it and trust me, the choir hears everything.'

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldne ... d-25m.html
 
i think the priest should of offered a different kind of support (e.g) someone to talk to so as to help her thruogh this espoecially as her last relationship was abusive.
 
Vicar went to hospital with potato stuck in bottom
A vicar attended hospital with a potato stuck up his bottom - and claimed it got there after he fell on to the vegetable while naked.

Last Updated: 2:55PM GMT 31 Oct 2008

The clergyman, in his 50s, told nurses he had been hanging curtains when he fell backwards on to his kitchen table.

He happened to be nude at the time of the mishap, said the vicar, who insisted he had not been playing a sex game.

The vicar had to undergo a delicate operation to extract the vegetable, one of a range of odd items medics in Sheffield have had to remove from people's backsides or genitals.

Others include a can of deodorant, a cucumber, a Russian doll – and a carnation.

Speaking of the vicar, A & E nurse Trudi Watson, of Sheffield's Northern General Hospital, said: "He explained to me, quite sincerely, he had been hanging curtains naked in the kitchen when he fell backwards on to the kitchen table and on to a potato.

"But it's not for me to question his story. He had to undergo surgery to have it removed."

She advised anyone tempted to use such objects in sex games to think again.

"It can be very dangerous and potentially life-threatening," she said.

"Surgery can lead to infection, nasty scarring, and it could possibly end up with the person having to use a colostomy bag as a result."

A hospital trust spokeswoman in Sheffield said: "Like all busy hospitals we do see some unusual accidents.

"But our staff deal with them in a discreet, professional and kind way."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstop ... ottom.html
 
rynner said:
The clergyman, in his 50s, told nurses he had been hanging curtains when he fell backwards on to his kitchen table.

He happened to be nude at the time of the mishap, said the vicar,
Click to expand...

I believe him, that's the sort of everyday accident that can happen to anyone.
 
rynner said:
The Telegraph said:
Vicar went to hospital with potato stuck in bottom ...
A hospital trust spokeswoman in Sheffield said: "Like all busy hospitals we do see some unusual accidents.

"But our staff deal with them in a discreet, professional and kind way."
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
..by having a good laugh about it in the pub afterwards, and then telling their partners, but professionally witholding names. Best one Mrs N ever had was a bloke with a jar of M&S Luxury Mincemeat with Brandy up his bottom. He explained - and this is true by the way - that usually "..he used a milk bottle, but what with it being Xmas and all..."

Sorry, OT, but had to share that one :).
 
Come to think of it, the sight of a naked vicar standing in a window 'hanging curtains' would be a bit of an eye brow raiser in itself. :shock:

I don't think the Bishop would approve.....
 
I'm very much enjoying 'In Stitches: The Highs and Lows of Life as an A and E Doctor ' by Dr Nick Edwards. He mentions a chap who came in with a mobile phone where the sun don't shine, and discusses how hard it would be to keep a straight face if it rang. :lol:

My niece works in operating theatres and has lots of funny stories about what they've had to remove from where.
However, the serious aspect is that bum surgery with a general anaesthetic is always necessary to remove these foreign objects. Think twice. ;)

Don't we have a thread on this very subject? Excellent reading. I seem to remember posting the story of the drunk who claimed to be CIA, and could have anyone present 'disappeared'.
When he passed out, a large cucumber 'disappeared'.
 
what sort of priest hangs curtains up naked?

and he was quick to defend his actions without the nurse even asking why or how he had done it.

can anyone say guilty conscience!

the-shame.thumbnail.jpg
 
I always wondered why they called them King Edwards!

At least they got the spud out quickly. One of my favourite medical horrors is the woman who presented with what she called a Vaginny Creeper - a leafy growth sprouting from her womanhood.

It turned out that a few months earlier she had suffered some form of prolapse and inserted a potato as a temporary support. It worked so well that she forgot about seeking further medical help until the tuber began to germinate. :shock:
 
Church of England bans swinging, driniking [sic!] vicar from practising
Laura Dixon

A female vicar who told colleagues that she went on swinging holidays in the South of France and who turned up drunk to church services has been banned from practising for 12 years by the Church of England.

The Rev Teresa Davies, from Daventry, Northamptonshire, was found guilty of inappropriate conduct at a tribunal in London yesterday.

Mrs Davies was said to have told two church colleagues at a Christmas lunch in 2006 that she and her husband had spent holidays without their children in the South of France, in an area that she said was noted for “the casual exchange of sexual partners”.

The tribunal also heard that Mrs Davies, 37, and her husband had posted under the name “Tess and Mick, Daventry” on swinging websites.

After the lunch Mrs Davies sent an e-mail to one of her colleagues, the Rev Canon Owen Page, saying that she had “probably loaded you with too much information”. She told the other clergyman, the Rev Peter Davis, who gave her a lift home after the lunch: “I think I have said too much.”

Later she told her archdeacon that she had been drinking and was trying to be shocking. She also said that she had never had any sexual relationship outside her marriage. She admitted to the tribunal that this was incorrect.

The tribunal said: “Clergy who commit sexual misconduct have to be dealt with firmly and in a way which would protect those who could be harmed if the respondent were otherwise allowed to remain in ministry.”

It added that she still had no appreciation of the seriousness of the findings against her, or of the damage caused.

Mrs Davies was suspended from her position as a team vicar in May last year and resigned in September. She did not attend the hearing.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/commen ... 134273.ece
 
Sticking together: The THREE wives of former clergyman march to court as he is accused of bigamy and £10,000 forgery
By David Wilkes
Last updated at 8:22 AM on 13th November 2008

He was not there to face them - but for Roderick Sangster’s three wives, this was an occasion not to be missed.
The trio arrived at court yesterday to give evidence as the trial of the 58-year-old on charges of bigamy and forgery went ahead in his absence.

Sangster, who was once a minister of the Scottish church, targeted vulnerable women and conned them out of cash, a jury was told.
The court heard that his bigamy was exposed after he abandoned his third wife Janet Pollard, leaving her £55,000 in debt. He had met her when she was recovering from cancer.

Sangster arrive at Warwick Crown Court for a trial held in his absence
She then contacted his second wife Jill, from whom he was estranged but not divorced, Warwick Crown Court heard.
Recalling the moment she met Janet, Jill, of Perth in Scotland, said: ‘She said she was married to a Rod Sangster and was it the same one?
‘I got out the wedding photographs and showed her. She confirmed it was him. The beach where we got married, she had been there with him.’

Prosecutor David Jones said the pattern of manipulation could be traced back to Sangster’s first marriage to Frances Tait, a nurse. He divorced her in 1996 after 25 years of marriage and also left her in debt, the court heard.
Mr Jones said: ‘He looked for vulnerable ladies with some degree of financial stability which gave him the opportunity to get monies from them.
‘When the money had gone, he would go on to someone else. This is a man who uses people. This is a conman.’

Mrs Tait, of Portlethen, Aberdeenshire, said the couple had married in December 1971 and had four children together.
She said they got divorced in April 1996 after Sangster ran away to Doncaster where he met Jill. Mrs Tait told the jury that Sangster would often ‘disappear’ for weeks at a time when it was ‘totally unexpected’.

Sangster, whose last known address was the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Chester, married Jill in Florida in 1996. When he broke up with her six years later, she found she was in £32,000 of debt, Mr Jones said.
She wept in court as she told the jury that ‘she didn’t realise the extent of the debt’ until he left her in 2002.

Sangster later worked at a hotel in Evesham, Worcestershire, and met Janet Pollard through an internet dating site.
She did not know that he had not secured a divorce from his second wife when they married in 2004. They moved to Scotland, where they bought a house and took out a mortgage with Northern Rock.

Unemployed Sangster told Janet he was writing a book and had a £107,000 contract for it to be published - but the story was a sham, the court heard.
In August 2006 he allegedly forged his wife’s signature to obtain a £10,000 loan from Northern Rock.
Mr Jones said: ‘When he left Janet, she found letters from debtors and it totalled a sum of £55,000.

‘In June 2007, police officers went to Chester to arrest the defendant. He was questioned about his divorce from Jill and he became very vague.
‘He eventually conceded that he couldn’t be sure he wasn’t still married to her. He admitted forging Janet’s signature, he accounted for this by saying she was at work. He claimed that she knew about the £10,000.’

Sangster denies the charges. The case continues.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... rgery.html
 
Vicar is sacked over sex texts to girl of 16 after suffering 'crisis of faith'
By Luke Salkeld
Last updated at 12:14 AM on 12th June 2009

A vicar has been sacked after he sent 'sexual and intimate' text messages to a 16-year-old girl in his parish.
Reverend David Waters, 61, targeted the schoolgirl after he claimed to have suffered a 'crisis of faith'.
The unmarried clergyman has now been banned from taking church services after being stripped of his licence by a church disciplinary tribunal.

Mr Waters admitted sending 'inappropriate text messages, in that they contained words or phrases that were unseemly and of a sexual and intimate nature'.

Their precise content has not been revealed.

Church leaders were tipped off about his behaviour by a member of the girl's family, but the tribunal was told that the teenager, now 18, did not want the vicar to be punished further.
Mr Waters made a full confession, admitting that on various occasions before May 2007 he sent sexual messages to her - behaviour which he later accepted was ' scandalous and offensive'.
He was suspended from his position as rector of St Catwg's Church in Gelligaer, South Wales, in June 2007, but as the girl, understood to be a regular member of his congregation, was 16 at the time, police did not investigate.

The tribunal ruled that the appropriate penalty would be to bar the vicar from holding a licence or obtaining permission to officiate in any church in Wales.
To parishioners, the vicar later likened his situation to that of a surgeon who started shaking .
He partly blamed his actions on being in charge of a huge parish and tending to the demands of his parishioners.

One of them said: 'He was a person you could go to and he would always try and help you - he never turned anyone away. I think it all got too much for him in the end.'
Mr Waters has now left the parish, having previously spoken of feeling 'burnt out' by his role in the community.
He said: 'The demands have been incredible. I love this parish, I love every single person in this village.'

He added: 'I began going through weird experiences and the doctors think I had a breakdown.
'I was going through a crisis of faith. I felt I was unworthy to be at the altar, that I was letting God down and letting the congregation down. I'm so ashamed.'
Although he has not been defrocked, the ban means if he wishes to apply for a licence or obtain permission to officiate again, he must provide written medical evidence that he is not at risk of repeat behaviour.
It will then be up to the relevant bishop to decide whether to grant such a licence or permission.
A Church In Wales spokesman said: 'The Reverend David Waters was referred to the tribunal in respect of an allegation of conduct giving just cause for scandal or offence.
'Having admitted the offence, Mr Waters has been inhibited from holding a licence or obtaining permission to officiate in any diocese in the Church In Wales.
'The tribunal recognised that at the time of the offences the Reverend David Waters was suffering from a form of mental illness.'
Another parishioner said: 'He told us he was going through a crisis of faith and simply felt burnt out.'

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... faith.html

The church itself looks interesting - it seems to be a very old building, with a brand-new tower built on!
 
bigphoot1 said:
rynner said:
The clergyman, in his 50s, told nurses he had been hanging curtains when he fell backwards on to his kitchen table.

He happened to be nude at the time of the mishap, said the vicar,
Click to expand...

I believe him, that's the sort of everyday accident that can happen to anyone.
Click to expand...

We have a local named Kenny the Hoover. He was unfortunate enough to have his penis fall into the suction hose socket of a vacuum cleaner. The unfortunate man had been hoovering in the nude and leant over when his willie just got pulled in by the suction. Quite incredible really, and so unlucky. :roll:
 
Preacher Tony Alamo convicted of 'marrying' girls for sex
Tony Alamo, a one-time street preacher who built a multimillion-dollar ministry was convicted on Friday of taking girls as young as 9 across state lines for sex.
Published: 10:00PM BST 24 Jul 2009

Alamo stood silently as the verdict was read, a contrast to his occasional mutterings during testimony. His five victims sat looking forward in the gallery. One, a woman he "married" at age 8, wiped away a tear.

"I'm just another one of the prophets that went to jail for the Gospel," Alamo called to reporters afterward as he was escorted to a waiting U.S. marshal's vehicle. :roll:

Shouts of "Bye, bye, Bernie" – Alamo was born Bernie Lazar Hoffman – came from a crowd gathered on the Arkansas side of the courthouse, which straddles the Texas-Arkansas border.

Jurors were convinced Alamo had had sex with the girls when they were underage, but deliberated for more than a day to ensure that they considered everything, jury foreman Frank Oller of Texarkana said.

"That was the evidence. That was proven," Mr Oller said. "We came up with a full decision that we are quite satisfied with."

Don Ervin, Alamo's defence lawyer, said the evidence against the 74-year-old preacher was insufficient and that the preacher would appeal. He also said Alamo's criminal history – he served four years in prison on tax charges in the 1990s – "will hurt him" at sentencing in six to eight weeks.

"We believe he will face the rest of his natural life in prison," said Assistant US Attorney Kyra Jenner. The penalties on the 10 charges total 175 years in prison, she said, and violations of the century-old Mann Act also carry fines of up to $250,000 each.

The five women, now age 17 to 33, told jurors that Alamo "married" them in private ceremonies while they were minors, sometimes giving them wedding rings. Each detailed trips beyond Arkansas' borders for Alamo's sexual gratification.

Alamo never testified.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldne ... r-sex.html
 
Inquiry after affair claim against Truro Cathedral dean

An internal inquiry is being held after allegations that the dean of Truro Cathedral has been having an affair, the Diocese of Truro has confirmed.

The diocese said it was alerted to allegations against the Very Reverend Dr Christopher Hardwick at the weekend.

Dr Hardwick, who is married, had been seeing a woman going through a divorce as part of his pastoral counselling service, the diocese said.

He is not participating in services for the foreseeable future.

Although officially still in his post, the diocese said Dr Hardwick was taking a break from his duties "to resolve personal issues relating to his marriage".

The Bishop of Truro, Tim Thornton, has started the inquiry to establish if there are grounds for a more formal disciplinary process.

The diocese said: "The break-up of any marriage is a sensitive matter, often emotionally charged, and may involve people beyond the immediate family."

It added: "As a caring organisation, the diocese has pastoral procedures that are implemented in the event that the marriage of any priest runs into difficulties.

"These have been made available to all the individuals involved in the present situation."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cornwall/8649225.stm
 
The rent boy and me: pastor tells all (but no kiss)
Anti-gay activist says he is victim of 'misleading innuendo' over holiday snap with male escort
By Guy Adams in Los Angeles
Friday, 7 May 2010

I did not have sex with that rent boy; God's honest truth. That's the line being heroically maintained by George Rekers, the Baptist minister and vocal critic of gay rights, who was photographed returning from a 10-day European vacation with a male prostitute. It's his story, and he's sticking to it. ;)

In an exclusive interview with The Independent, Dr Rekers, 61, who has three children and believes that homosexuality is a "disease" which can be cured, has explained the misunderstanding which saw him accidentally hire a blond Puerto Rican sex worker to help carry his bags during a trip to London and Madrid last month.

The prominent evangelical conservative, who co-founded the influential right-wing Family Research Council, became an international punch-line earlier this week when it emerged that his travelling companion was a 20-year-old escort who works under the aliases "Lucien" and "Geo" and advertises at www.rentboy.com. :shock:

Comedians including David Letterman and Jay Leno have gleefully joked about the exact nature of the baggage that Dr Rekers needed carrying. They have also pored over "Lucien's" profile on the exotic site, where he's described as "un-cut" and has listed his hobbies as "vanilla, leather, shaving, spanking, role-play and go-go dancing."

Yet Dr Rekers vehemently denies any sexual relationship with the perfectly proportioned youth. Instead, he claims to have hired "Lucien" on doctors' orders, after surgery left him unable to lift heavy objects. He only discovered the true nature of "Lucien's" profession halfway through the foreign trip, when it was too late to dispense with his professional services.

"I still needed a travel assistant to assist me for the remainder of the trip and did not have time to find someone in Europe," Dr Rekers insisted yesterday.

"My travel assistant was well behaved and never made any sexual advances to me. He was actually gone much of the day and night anyway, touring himself, when I did not need him. While the situation was certainly not ideal, I could adjust to it."

Dr Rekers was speaking from the University of South Carolina School of Medicine, where he describes himself as a "distinguished professor of neuropsychiatry and behavioural science emeritus" who is an expert lecturer on childhood and teenage sexuality.

A somewhat damning photograph of the duo at Miami International Airport published by the Miami New Times showed Dr Rekers arranging heavy bags on a luggage trolley, while "Lucien" stood decoratively to one side. However he insists that it does not undermine his version of events.

etc...

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world ... 65638.html
 
Catholic priests 'filmed at gay clubs and having casual sex'
The Catholic Church in Italy was embroiled in a fresh scandal on Friday when photographs apparently showing homosexual priests attending gay nightclubs and engaging in casual sex were published in a magazine.
By Nick Pisa in Rome
Published: 11:20PM BST 23 Jul 2010

A journalist from Panorama, a conservative weekly news magazine owned by Silvio Berlusconi, the Italian prime minister, used a hidden camera to film interviews with three gay priests, who introduced the journalist to the gay clubs they apparently frequent, and allowed the journalist to film their sexual encounters with strangers, including one in a church building.

One of the priests, a Frenchman identified only as Paul, celebrated Mass in the morning before driving the two escorts he had hired to attend a party the night before to the airport, Panorama said.

The Catholic Church in Italy, still reeling from the paedophile priest scandal, responded on Friday by ordering homosexual priests who are leading a double life to come out of the closet and leave the priesthood.

In a statement on Friday, the Rome diocese insisted that the vast majority of Rome's 1,300 priests were truthful to their vocations and were "models of morality for all."

The Vatican did not comment on the Panorama investigation, but a senior source said: "This is the usual silly season rubbish to attract readers during the quiet summer months.

"There is no proof that the people involved are from the clergy."

A preview of the article sent out by Panorama said: "By day they are regular priests, complete with dog collar, but at night, it's off with the cassock as they take their place as perfectly integrated members of the Italian capital's gay scene."

Panorama described its investigation as "deeply disturbing" as it detailed how the priests - two Italians and a Frenchman - happily took part in gay events and had casual sex.

The Catholic Church insists on celibacy for priests and sees homosexuality as a sin. In 2008 the Vatican issued guidelines which said that any would-be trainees should not join if they had "deep-seated homosexual tendencies."

Panorama editor Giorgio Mule said: "This was a two week investigation and was not aimed at creating a scandal but showing that a certain section of the clergy behaves very differently."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldne ... l-sex.html
 
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